Page 5 of Cowboy Stolen Kiss for Christmas

“What about your parents?” It seemed awfully late on a Friday night for them not to be home from work already.

“It’s their anniversary weekend,” she explained in a muffled voice against his shirt, “so Dad reserved one of the airbnb rooms above the toy store.”

Guess that explains the snowy sidewalk outside. Ames grunted and pressed his cheek to the top of her head. “I’m going to go out on a limb and predict he’s probably not busy spilling coffee all over your mother as we speak.”

“Just stop it already!” Laura chuckled again. “You’re being way too hard on yourself. In case I’ve never told you this, you are —hands down — the nicest guy I’ve ever met.”

“Nice,” he grumbled. “Yay.” Not. Nice was most definitely not the kind of evening he’d been gunning for. More like spectacular.

“You are,” she protested, leaning back in his embrace to meet his gaze. “Nobody has ever gone to that kind of effort on my behalf. For reals. You’re always doing stuff for me, and it means the world to me, okay? Spilled coffee and all.”

“Really?” Though it was far from a romantic moment, standing there in the foyer shivering together, his gaze dipped to her rosy lips. Someday he was going to steal that kiss he’d been dreaming about day and night for months.

Not now, though. She wasn’t ready.

“Really.” She gently wiggled out of his embrace and reached for his hands, towing him backward toward the kitchen. “Now let’s go make some more of that espresso that didn’t survive the sleigh ride.”

CHAPTER 2: SPILLING SECRETS

As Laura pulled Ames toward the kitchen, it dawned on her that his expression had changed. He still had the usual swagger in his step, and his blond eyebrows were still raised in the usual cocky quirk beneath the brim of his Stetson, but his eyelids had grown distinctively heavier.

Unless her overwrought emotions were causing her to misread the situation, his attention also seemed a little fixated on her mouth all of a sudden. A little too fixated for a guy who was supposed to be nothing more than a friend.

He wants to kiss me. The realization sank into her dazed thoughts, bringing a level of awareness between them she’d never experienced before. The air practically vibrated with it.

Ames Smoking Hot Carson actually wants to kiss me! The tall, windblown, sun-kissed cowboy who — along with his two brothers — had quickly become the biggest heartthrobs in Pinetop. Not only were all three of them champion bronc riders, he’d additionally found the time to earn his pilot’s license. He was the real deal, the whole package — the very hunky, very single version of it.

Though Laura continued walking backwards in front of him, she abruptly dropped his hands. It was as if they’d turned into two fistfuls of burning lava or something.

“What’s wrong?” He stalked playfully after her on legs that were slightly bowed from a lifetime in the saddle. “You allergic to me all of a sudden?”

“I…” She shook her head, at a momentary loss for words as the truth continued to splash through her. How had she missed what had been happening right beneath her nose for months?

All his running ahead of her to open doors, all of his offers to carry her store purchases, all of his last-minute offers to drive her home from work where he so conveniently happened to show up at just the right time nearly every evening… And don’t even get her started on tonight’s fiasco in the sleigh. It had been his first attempt at setting the stage for an actual date with her. She was sure of it.

Her shoulder grazed the doorway of the kitchen on her way through it, making her stumble.

Ames was there, like he always was, reaching for her upper arms to steady her while gazing down at her with that half-questioning, sort of hopeless look he gave her sometimes.

“Ames,” she breathed, squeezing her eyelids shut to give herself a moment to catch her breath. “I didn’t know,” she whispered shakily. “Not until tonight. Not until…just now.” She still wasn’t sure how she’d missed it. Maybe that part of her was so damaged that it wasn’t working right anymore.

“Yeah, well, now you do,” he growled, dropping his hands from her arms. There was no hesitation in his answer. No sheepishness or shame. Maybe a little anger, but it was directed at himself, not her. He was way too honest to dodge or deny her discovery that he cared more for her than a friend should.

Her eyelids fluttered open. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

“Yep.”

“When?” Thankfully, the door frame was still within reaching distance. She rested a hand against it for support.

“I don’t know, Laura.” He raised and lowered his shoulders, looking perplexed. “When you were ready, I guess. I wanted to be friends first. To get to know you better and give you a chance to get to know me better.”

“That’s really sweet of you.” Her words didn’t do his actions justice. He’d been so much more than sweet. He’d been empathetic and understanding. He’d been patient and kind. He’d put her needs before his own. Though he was normally a leap first and think afterward kind of guy, at least when it came to his rodeo stunts, he’d done a whole lot more thinking first than acting when it came to her. It spoke volumes about his character. It also told her he meant business.

About her. About them.

He pushed his hat back a little. “Sweet certainly isn’t an adjective my brothers would use to describe me. They’d laugh their rear ends off if they heard you call me that.”

“Then I won’t say it in front of them.” She blushed as soon as the words left her. Could I have said anything stupider? Giving herself a mental shake, she let go of the door frame and straightened.

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